Getting Together

Dear Correspondents: 

What DC-related E-mail lists or on-line newsletters do you belong to or know about? On-line newsletters and E-mail lists are great for getting groups together, but they are hard to locate — there are no search engines for them, as there are for the web. I started to compile a list of DC newsletters a couple years ago, but I didn't get many suggestions. It's time to try again. Please let me know of any citywide, neighborhood, PSA, or other E-mail newsletters for DC, along with instructions for how to subscribe to them, and I'll compile them to print in themail, as well as create a listing page on DCWatch. 

Gary Imhoff
themail@dcwatch.com

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Where Some of the Bodies Are Stacked
Carolyn Curtis, Cabcurtis@aol.com

If you visit the web site of the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia [http://www.mpdp.org], and click on the news section in the left side banner, you will find some of the fallout of the new health care system. There have been five deaths noted in the police news releases from April 30 through June 3 wherein individuals who previously would have gone to DCGH for their care did not do so. On May 4, the emergency room was closed to ambulances. However, from May 26 through May 28, ambulances were allowed to go to DC General Hospital. This was the same time of the large music festival at RFK Stadium. The opening of the emergency room at DCGH for these three days made emergency room services available to visitors to DC, while just a day before, emergency room services were denied to residents of the District of Columbia who would take the ambulance to DC General Hospital. (If you walked or came by car, then you were able to be seen in the emergency room). There may have been others that have not been reported in such releases. The reported deaths include:

April 30, John Thomas Ellis was transported to Howard University, taking 1 hour, 13 minutes, from the time police responded. He died. May 2, Melvin Ball, shot in the 200 block of 62nd St., NE. He was transported to the Prince George's General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:01 p.m.. Police and medics responded to this report at 8:23 p.m. May 5, William Eric Etheridge was transported to Prince George's Medical Center, where he died. May 28, Freddie Aikins, shot in the RFK Stadium lot, which is adjacent to DC General Hospital. He was transported to Howard University where he was pronounced dead. An unidentified second victim was taken to another local hospital. Later reports state that this young man also died. The problem with this case is that emergency room at DC General Hospital had been closed to trauma since May 4. 

There is a petition on line with regards to saving democracy in the District of Columbia and saving DC General Hospital. Please take a moment to review and sign it as well and forward it to your friends, family, colleagues. http://www.PetitionsOnline.com/Savedcgh. 

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More Good Ideas and Bad Execution
Phil Carney, philnopus@erols.com

I don't know whether to celebrate or cry. The now famous Seventeenth Street, NW, strip probably has as much pedestrian traffic as any sidewalk in the city. There have been serious tripping dangers in the sidewalks for at least five years from broken concrete to missing bricks. There was a multi-agency DC government survey of 17th Street last September. Ten months later, repairs were made today. Asphalt was used to fix everything including missing bricks. Aside from being ugly as hell, at least one asphalt repair had been undone within half an hour. After years of walking hazards, after ten months of waiting following the survey — we get temporary, inadequate, and ugly repairs. Seventeenth NW is unique in having commercial on one side and residential on the other. The commercial side of 17th got repairs. The residential side got no repairs. Ever reminding us that the business of the DC government is to take care of businesses and the residents can go. Oh well, it may be ugly out there, but at least now it is a lot safer to walk.

Talking with friends at a sidewalk restaurant this morning, we watched as a mechanized street cleaner drove down the block without cleaning anything. Why? Because there were ten cars parked in the twelve available spaces on that block, plus there were four trucks double parked along the block.

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Cars and Bikes and Pedestrians, Oh My
John Whiteside, john@logancircle.net

Since the periodic bikes vs. cars and who's to blame for the chaos discussion has resurfaced, I'll say my bit and then bow out. I think I have a pretty good perspective on this: I am a frequent driver, pedestrian, cyclist, and motorcyclist. I experience this one from all angles. (And since I work in Virginia, I see it in two places, and let me tell you — the drivers in Tyson's Corner are ten times as aggressive as those downtown, so remember, it could be worse.) 

Yes, the drivers are out of control, running red lights, speeding, and generally threatening everyone around them. Unfortunately the pedestrians are just as bad — they just don't have two tons of steel to throw around when they are wandering into traffic, waiting to cross the street eight feet out into a traffic lane, and so on. (What's with people with children crossing against the light? Are they trying to teach their little ones how to die horribly in traffic?) And the bicyclists — well, I know there are many law-abiding cyclists, and it would be great if more people rode bikes, but on average, they are just as bad as drivers, they just are on a vehicle that puts them at the losing end in a tangle with a car — but is big and fast enough to terrorize pedestrians. 

Which is why at the end of the day, I don't think it's a cars versus bikes versus pedestrians thing. People seem to act the same way however they are getting around — they ignore the rules and resent everyone else using the street. So perhaps instead of pointing fingers, we should be figuring out how to increase enforcement of all the traffic laws, make sure that pedestrian facilities are adequate (and write tickets for jaywalking, as they do in California), and making sure that we create space and facilities for cyclists so that more people can safely use bikes to get around town. There is no reason that this can't fundamentally work, it just requires us to invest in transportation planning that works for everyone, instead of transportation that just gets cars in and out of the central city.

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Bikes and the Chip on My Shoulder
Richard Layman, Northeast DC, richlayman@lettera.net

Why is my wanting to park my bike in a secure fashion a sign of a chip on my shoulder, and car owners' assertion of control of the street (a significant amount of the total “public space” present in the District of Columbia) not? Why do people feel that the city owes their car a parking place on the street (e.g., subject of opposition to the size of a proposed housing development at the old Capitol Hill Hospital site) while you seem to think I am usurping public space by locking my bike to a tree guard? The amount of public space devoted to parking but one car is far, far, far greater than that for my puny-sized bike. Offense at gall does look like a chip on my shoulder, I suppose.

In the Neighborhood Planning workshops in my part of Northeast, people put forth the proposal that the cost of parking permits should be based on size of vehicles. And that more cars per household should pay more money for parking permits. Yeah, I get angry because people feel that city planning needs to revolve around the privileges of car owners. I think that's backwards. If you lived in New York City, and demanded that the city build a parking garage/provide lots for parking for you, I guarantee that it wouldn't go very far. But such proposals get taken seriously here. While on the other hand, most leases in DC's office buildings forbid the installation of bike racks — which is why there isn't one outside of the Border's at 18th and L Streets, NW, for example. And, another example, I wrote to the U.S. Postal Service in 1991 or 1992 suggesting they install a bike rack at the National Capitol office so that bicyclists wouldn't have to lock on the metal handrails. There still is no bike rack there. Yes, my housemate owns a car and he lets me use it sometime. But it is a Geo Metro, a perfect car for the city.

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Another Bike Parking Solution
Michelle Treistman, mtreistman@yahoo.com

Krypto makes a flexible lock that is made of the same material as their U-shaped lock. It offers the bicyclist a wider range of locking opportunities, like lampposts and trees, and can be threaded through the front tire without having to release the tire. (It is also great for riders with small bike frames who don't want to choose between a lock mount or a water bottle holder!)

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Moving from DC
Richard Layman, Northeast DC, richlayman@lettera.net

When you say “move from D.C.” I have to say that lately I've been thinking a lot about Arlington County. It's clean (see themail thread about trash/street cleaning), development in the Rosslyn/Ballston corridor is clearly transit-oriented — development is centered around Metro stops and is mixed-use housing/office/retail so that people are out and about throughout the day. The area from Courthouse to Ballston is clearly walkable (and bikable) and there seem to be a lot of independently owned businesses as opposed to chain stores. Check out Clarendon on a Friday or Saturday night — entertainment-wise it looks more happening than just about any part of DC, lots of clubs and restaurants full of people, and you feel safe on the street besides.

Plus, Arlington County requires each new development to have a transportation plan and transportation coordinator once the building is open. Each new office building is required to have a shower for bicyclists and racks for bicycles. Why is this important? Because the county believes that all forms of transportation need to be coordinated and planned for — not just for cars — and that there are advantages to trying to reduce the use of the automobile.

What keeps me in the city is that I can afford to live here — I probably couldn't have afforded to buy a house in Arlington — and the potential to do such coordinated planning here in the District. (I heartily suggest reading Cities Back from the Edge by Roberta Gratz.) Plus, despite a lot of the arguments that come across in themail or in various neighborhood meetings, I really do feel that most people in the city, regardless of race or income level, want to make the District of Columbia a better place to live.

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Term Limit Hypocrisy
Jim Zurer, jzurer@starpower.net

Let me say first that I oppose term limits and I voted against them in the 1994 referendum. But I can't let the colossal arrogance of the nine members of the Council who voted to repeal them pass without expressing some indignation. Who do they think they are? If they are against term limits, let them propose a new referendum and let the people decide. At least they should have had the decency to make the repeal provisions apply only to newly elected Council members. What a gross display of disdain for the voters they pretend to represent. Shame on them.

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MPD Civil Rights Violations
Jeremy Siegel, abbeygrad@hotmail.com

Mr. Jones' comments are extremely disturbing to me, hopefully they will be disturbing to somebody in the MPD. I can only recommend that Mr. Jones take his problem and report it to a MPD supervisor. Make sure when the supervisor is documenting the concern they use MPD Form 99. This is an extremely unacceptable situation, Mr. Jones might also want to consider filling the Washington Post in on the situation; they would eat something like this up with a vengeance. Just for your information, I am currently a Junior at St. Mary's College of MD, I plan on going into law enforcement, hopefully with the Metropolitan Police. I make this promise to everyone right now, this type of situation will never, ever happen on my watch.

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Dog Parks in Lame City
Ted LeBlond, tedleblond@starpower.net

Another thing about DC that I think is a real joke is how on metropets.org there is a list of dog parks, yet you have to keep your dog on a leash while in the park. Newsflash: that's not a dog park, then. A dog park is what they have in NYC — and possibly other cities — where they have a fenced-in area and dogs can run around in the fenced-in area. There are all these parks in DC-right in the city; but if you mention putting up a little fence so that you can safely take a dog off leash and let him run around like dogs do and should, everyone gets all up in arms and wants to revolt! Lame city!

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Thanks to Great Neighbors — A Beautifully Renovated Park
Phil Carney, philnopus@erols.com

St. Thomas Episcopal Parish has completely renovated its park on the corner of 18th and Church NW. Please stop by and visit this wonderful improvement to our Dupont Circle neighborhood. Three decades ago, the Parish sanctuary was destroyed in a arson fire. The parish struggled with whether they should close, rebuild, merge with another parish, or whatever. The members chose to continue the parish using the surviving building and to build a park in the location of the former sanctuary. The sanctuary chancel wall facing the park was preserved and that led the parish to its neighborhood nickname of “The Ruins.” To make better and more efficient use of the park space for Parish activities and to adjust the park to the realities of urban living, the park was redesigned and completely renovated. Special thanks go to Russ Gamble who helped guide the renovation. And many thanks go to Parish Rector Jim Holmes, whose leadership has set a high standard. The Parish encourages the use of its facilities by community groups and ANC2B, Dupont Circle Citizens Association, and 12 step recovery groups meet there regularly. Of the many churches in our neighborhood, only one actively supports community meeting space and only one has built and maintained a neighborhood park. St. Thomas parishioners have shown through their support and their beautiful new park to be great neighbors. 

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Straws in the Wind: DC’s Future Is Up for Grabs
Len Sullivan, lsnarpac@bellatlantic.net

Census 2000 shows unexpectedly significant demographic changes for DC and its metro area. Redistricting in DC could have some significant advantages. The caseload of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) in DC has begun to decline significantly. This can have a first order effect on shrinking the enrollment in DC public schools — and this in turn makes the planned school facilities modernization plan look much too ambitious. We think ten years hence DCPS budgets could be paid for completely from the productive use of excess school floor space and property! And a joint House-Senate hearing inspired by MD Rep. Connie Morella is being held this week on how Congress can help DC in the future. These and other unfolding issues bring optimism to the June update of the NARPAC web site at http://www.narpac.org. Feedback almost always welcome. Get positively involved.

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CLASSIFIEDS — EVENTS

More D.C. in 3-D, Past and Present
Jerry A. McCoy, sshistory@yahoo.com

This program will be presented by Jim Roy, who has been taking stereographic photos of Washington, DC, for the past twenty years. The presentation will include slide copies of historic stereo cards of Washington personalities and places, starting with President Lincoln and the Aqueduct Bridge, and moving through the 19th and early 20th centuries to early cherry blossoms at the Tidal Basin in the 1920s. From 1981, original images of the Cherry Blossom Parade, Gross National Parade, the Redskins Victory Parades, other events and persons of note, as well as our more delightful public gardens and sculptures will be included. 3-D glasses will be provided. 

Jim Roy is nominally a tax lawyer for the Internal Revenue Service, but has been a serious amateur photographer and area resident for 23 years and history buff for 53 years. He is also a regular volunteer astronomer at the National Air and Space Museum's Einstein Planetarium and the U.S. Naval Observatory. In September 2000 he was made a Fellow, Photographic Society of America. This is his fifth Washingtoniana presentation. Wednesday, June 13, 12:00 p.m., Washingtoniana Division, Room 307, Martin Luther King, Jr., Memorial Library, 901 G Street, NW (Gallery Place Metro — 9th Street exit). The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Jerry A. McCoy, Washingtoniana Division, 727-1213. 

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Memorial Procession For Victims of DC General Hospital Closing
David Barrows, barrowsdavid@hotmail.com

On Wednesday, June 6, 12:30 p.m., 1 Judiciary Square (441 4th St. NW, Judiciary Square Metro Station) please join in a procession to remember the victims of the closing of DC General's Trauma Unit (at least 10 so far) and to support the lawsuit to keep the hospital open (filed by Councilmembers Catania and Chavous). Jamie Loughner, on a hunger strike these past three weeks to keep DC General open as a fully funded, full service public hospital, will speak and be available for media interviews, and there will be other speakers as well. Dave Gatlan, a Pentecostal minister who works for the homeless, will lead the procession of mourners. Please dress in black or dark clothing if possible. There will be white crosses, some marked with the names of the victims. Please feel free to bring other symbols of mourning as well. Envelopes of symbolic grave site dirt will be available to send to the Mayor. For more information, call 543-4244 or 547-3039.

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Speakout for DC General Hospital, Speakout for Democracy
David Barrows, barrowsdavid@hotmail.com

On Friday, June 8, 1:30 - 4 p.m., US District Court House, 3rd St. and Constitution Ave., NW, rally and pack the courthouse where the lawsuit to keep DC General Hospital open, filed by Councilmembers Chavous and Catania, will be heard. Show your support and demand that the hospital remain open as a fully funded, full service public hospital. For more information, call 547-3039.

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CLASSIFIEDS — FOR SALE

Black Leather Couch
Jessica Lee, jeleegirl@hotmail.com

Black Leather Couch: Gorgeous, four-piece, circular set for sale. Great condition — once belonged to a famous author!! $800/ or best offer. Call 202-986-9430.

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CLASSIFIEDS — RECOMMENDATIONS

Calling all Dupont Pets
Dru Sefton, drusefton@hotmail.com

Anyone know of any pet-friendly apartment buildings on or near Dupont? My (small) dog Widget and (old) cat Arf thank you in advance for any tips.

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CLASSIFIEDS — CITY PAPER PREVIEW
Dave Nuttycombe, webmeister@washcp.com

From washingtoncitypaper.com's LOOSE LIPS column, appearing this Friday:
BIG BOST MAN: It was a recurring premonition. Sam Bost remembers it as if it were only yesterday. He had traveled along that Southern California mountain many times in his 16 years of driving a tractor-trailer. But then he began having visions of tumbling off the side. 
When trouble came, however, it wasn't in California but in Peoria, Ill., on Easter night 1986. “I had just picked up a load, and I lost my brakes,” recalls the North Carolina native, who retains only a hint of his Southern accent but all of his Southern charm. “That night, I made the decision I would get out of the business. . . . I stopped, and I didn't [drive a truck] again since then. I do believe that God led me down the path to leave that alone.”
Trucking's loss was the District's gain. The Ward 7 resident soon entered into a life of civic activism for which the city forever will be in his debt. 
Read the entire Loose Lips column here: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/lips/lips.html

From washingtoncitypaper.com's CITY LIGHTS page, here are a few early warnings for upcoming events:
THURSDAY-SUNDAY: Lewis Black, at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 14 and Sunday, June 17, and at 8 and 10:30 p.m. Friday, June 15 and Saturday, June 16, at the Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. $17. 
SUNDAY: Art Deco Society of Washington's 18th Annual Exposition of the Decorative Arts, 9 a.m. at Northern Virginia Community College's Ernst Community Cultural Center, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale. $10.
More details and more critics' picks are available online at http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/pix/pix.html

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